Tuesday: Much rain overnight.
Wednesday morning: The storm drain just outside (literally) the basement door, draining slower and slower every month as roots and stuff gradually plug up the ancient line, loses the battle. We wake to nearly an inch of water in the basement. Fortunately, it's only in the unfinished section with the concrete floor, and some in the kitchen with the linoleum floor. We were fortunate that there wasn't enough water to reach the other half of the basement. Specifically, our carpeted bedrooms. Plumber is called, drain is snaked, problem solved for a matter of months...(?)
Wednesday evening: Fans are setup to circulate and dry the musty air. Cleanup and organizing restore normalcy after the chaos of the morning.
Wednesday night, sometime between 10:30'ish and midnight: The water heater ruptures, dumping nearly an inch of water in the basement. Fortunately, blah blah blah, yada yada yada...
Wednesday night, around 12:30 or 1 am: Vern, having just fetched his brother from the airport, was having a nice visit with his mom upstairs. Recently fetched brother steps downstairs for something and, well, discovers he's all wet. Side by side, working in tandem like a well oiled machine... yeah, right... not these brothers...
Wednesday night bottom line: Somehow, eventually, one way or another, the two brothers manage to complete the second push-broom / mop brigade in as many days. They even left me asleep as this was the middle of the night (for some) and both brothers had Thursday off.
Thursday morning: I vaguely remembered some activity happening during the night. What WAS it? Oh well, as usual, I grab clothes and head for the bathroom. I start the shower. I start the shower. I start the shower. Oh, I'm dreaming. Wake up. The shower doesn't work. In fact, the mainline must be shut off because even the cold water doesn't work. Well, I attempt a quick spramp and get dressed and go to work.
Thursday late morning: I'm informed of last nights activity. We should have a new hot water heater installed Friday or Saturday. Whew! That will be good. I can't wait to get this all taken care of once and for all...(?)
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Snowy Christmas 2008
Lest anyone accuse me of NOT dressing for any occasion, check it...
That being said, I got a few snow pix this month and figured I should post them while it's still, well, 'this' month:
http://picasaweb.google.com/stag62/December08
Gas is cheaper than it's been in months but many haven't been driving for over a week due to the snow. In fact, I canceled (or at least postponed) my Christmas trip to Oregon just in case it got worse instead of better.
After all is said and done, it seems things were worse here than in the Eugene/Springfield area where I would have been staying. My sis-in-law was rolling in her 2-wheel-drive minivan the whole time. No big deal.
Today, finally, the side-streets in my neighborhood are looking more wet than snowy / slushy. But I LOVED it while it was here.
Aside from my meager phone pictures, here are more captured moments. First, from the staff of the Seattle P-I:
December Snowstorm 2008 - Best P-I Staff Photos
Next, amateur photos from Seattle P-I readers:
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/myseattlepix/picks.asp?ID=159
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Driving and camping
I'm driving. Subtle, but always in the background once you're attuned, is the hum of the fuel pump. At least, that's my guess. If I had perfect pitch I would tell you the key of that sound.
The interior fan is on the highest speed, blowing air as fast as it can. The lower speeds don't work. Gotta get that fixed.
I like to imagine that there's a taint of coolness to the fan-forced air with the a/c on. Realistically, I wonder if it's my imagination. Possibly, probably, there's no cool at all. The a/c was adequate when I got the car over a year ago. I'm sure a check-up and a re-charge would restore it. Oh, ambient temperatures reached the 80's that Wednesday.
That was my driving experience this year as I drove to and from Tumalo State Park in central Oregon, near Bend.
Why do I not do more camping? Oh yeah! For one thing, I'm tired of dealing with air-mattresses. Even when you get one that holds air, I seem to pop it. I don't seem to be any good at patching them, either. They always seem to go flat overnight. I tried foam padding. If you get the really thick stuff and double it by stacking it on top of each other, it does work pretty well.
But, I finally bought myself a cot this year. Been meaning to try one for awhile. It's fantastic! Not only is it comfortable for sleeping but it's also nice to sit and put your shoes on, etc. I actually could have camped longer. That cot is the single biggest improvement to my camping experience in years. Now, though, I need a slightly bigger tent to accommodate it. Which I've been wanting anyway. Here's my excuse.
Anyway, the scenery... I'll always be very fond of the beautiful forests of central Oregon. Camping, hiking, snow trips... all kinds of memories of these forests and hills touched on my awareness. There were many trips with family, friends, or the church youth group over the years, many of them occurring on these roads.
How do you feel about nature? There's something about the grandeur (that's the only way to describe it) of the mighty forests that just gets to me. I like exploring during the day and I especially love the forest at night. The wind never stops. Although there are people and cars and music and all kinds of sounds during the day, at night you can simply listen to the trees as the wind blows around and through them. It soothes me.
Of course, during the day the wind DID stop. We wanted wind. Or fans! The temperatures gradually rose each day until it was in the 90's. Fortunately Tumalo offers free showers which I took advantage of every evening. There's also the Deschutes River adjacent to the campground. There are a couple different swimming areas, neither of them too deep. But the one we found farther downstream was mostly shallow and really good for just walking out and getting your legs wet to cool down. The kids all loved it, of course.
Oh yeah... I got to meet my new cousins. I won't try to quote all their names but there are several. Now my nieces will have peers to play with at these occasions. That's good because they can wear me out. I can't imagine full-time kids in my life but I sure love them for a few hours or days at a time.
I decided to leave right after breakfast on Saturday. That ended up being around 9:30. I didn't get home until nearly 5:00. That was too many hours without a/c. If I go next year it will be in a different car and I plan to have working a/c, whatever it takes.
Generally enough relatives attend these trips that I can share a site with one of them, if not my immediate family. Well, this year not as many people were able to go. Also, the campground filled up pretty well. I ended up having to reserve 2 different sites and moved from one to the other on Friday. I shared with my aunt and uncle as they hadn't made reservations soon enough either. It worked out well. It sure helps to split the costs. Camping has gotten more expensive but it's worth it to me if there are nice bathrooms, showers and hot water included.
Plus, I'm all registered with the reservation site for future trips. I look forward to them.
The interior fan is on the highest speed, blowing air as fast as it can. The lower speeds don't work. Gotta get that fixed.
I like to imagine that there's a taint of coolness to the fan-forced air with the a/c on. Realistically, I wonder if it's my imagination. Possibly, probably, there's no cool at all. The a/c was adequate when I got the car over a year ago. I'm sure a check-up and a re-charge would restore it. Oh, ambient temperatures reached the 80's that Wednesday.
That was my driving experience this year as I drove to and from Tumalo State Park in central Oregon, near Bend.
Why do I not do more camping? Oh yeah! For one thing, I'm tired of dealing with air-mattresses. Even when you get one that holds air, I seem to pop it. I don't seem to be any good at patching them, either. They always seem to go flat overnight. I tried foam padding. If you get the really thick stuff and double it by stacking it on top of each other, it does work pretty well.
But, I finally bought myself a cot this year. Been meaning to try one for awhile. It's fantastic! Not only is it comfortable for sleeping but it's also nice to sit and put your shoes on, etc. I actually could have camped longer. That cot is the single biggest improvement to my camping experience in years. Now, though, I need a slightly bigger tent to accommodate it. Which I've been wanting anyway. Here's my excuse.
Anyway, the scenery... I'll always be very fond of the beautiful forests of central Oregon. Camping, hiking, snow trips... all kinds of memories of these forests and hills touched on my awareness. There were many trips with family, friends, or the church youth group over the years, many of them occurring on these roads.
How do you feel about nature? There's something about the grandeur (that's the only way to describe it) of the mighty forests that just gets to me. I like exploring during the day and I especially love the forest at night. The wind never stops. Although there are people and cars and music and all kinds of sounds during the day, at night you can simply listen to the trees as the wind blows around and through them. It soothes me.
Of course, during the day the wind DID stop. We wanted wind. Or fans! The temperatures gradually rose each day until it was in the 90's. Fortunately Tumalo offers free showers which I took advantage of every evening. There's also the Deschutes River adjacent to the campground. There are a couple different swimming areas, neither of them too deep. But the one we found farther downstream was mostly shallow and really good for just walking out and getting your legs wet to cool down. The kids all loved it, of course.
Oh yeah... I got to meet my new cousins. I won't try to quote all their names but there are several. Now my nieces will have peers to play with at these occasions. That's good because they can wear me out. I can't imagine full-time kids in my life but I sure love them for a few hours or days at a time.
I decided to leave right after breakfast on Saturday. That ended up being around 9:30. I didn't get home until nearly 5:00. That was too many hours without a/c. If I go next year it will be in a different car and I plan to have working a/c, whatever it takes.
Generally enough relatives attend these trips that I can share a site with one of them, if not my immediate family. Well, this year not as many people were able to go. Also, the campground filled up pretty well. I ended up having to reserve 2 different sites and moved from one to the other on Friday. I shared with my aunt and uncle as they hadn't made reservations soon enough either. It worked out well. It sure helps to split the costs. Camping has gotten more expensive but it's worth it to me if there are nice bathrooms, showers and hot water included.
Plus, I'm all registered with the reservation site for future trips. I look forward to them.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Acclimation
Apparently I have a heat rash. It's true I'm out of shape, overweight, and (today) hot, plus I must have worn the wrong shirt (not cotton, not natural) to do yard-work in today. At least, that's what I'm reading as I research the multitudinous red bumps on my upper body.
Up to now I'd been thinking how nice it would be to mow the yard again. At my last few residences I haven't had yards, or at least not yards with grass in them. Like, the previous house certainly had space in front of and behind it. But a traditional lawn was out of the question due to 2 major factors: 1) a good portion of the back yard was a concrete slab. 2) the front yard had a lArGE pine tree in it. So large... (how large was it?) it was so large that the needles fell into the front yard, the back yard and the alley out back, the neighbors yards, the street... well, you get the idea. I loaded countless yard waste bins with needles trying to keep up with the tree. Anyway, the acidity of the needles prevented certain plants from growing. Ironically, a number of flowers and bushes thrived.
Oh yeah! Also ironic: After tearing down the old house and rebuilding, the annoying pine tree in the front yard is the one that survived. They ended up cutting down the (maple?) tree in the back yard that we all liked. I'll bet the neighbors are very disappointed. They always had choice things to say about the tree in front.
Anyway, well, a couple houses back I did live in a place with nice lawns but the landlord insisted on mowing them.
So, even though I've been a couch potato for awhile, at least my position at work was keeping me in shape a little bit. If nothing else, I got some walking in and did lots of lifting and carrying and sorting and the like.
Now, I have a desk job again. It's been less than two months, but... I HAVE to start doing stuff. I know that this weekend was a good start. Mowing the yard, front and back, and pulling weeds for a couple hours certainly has me feeling my age. Maybe it's a good wake-up call.
The original point of this message was going to be about mowing the yard. As I mentioned, it's been years since I've mowed on a regular basis. In fact, not since my teenage (and younger) years has it been a habit. I remember the ugly old blue push-mower we had. Rather fondly, in fact. The most important thing to dad was that it had a Briggs & Stratton engine. That used to be the brand to look for. There was no grass-catcher. That was a luxury for other people, not us. We just aimed the exiting grass to the center of the yard and kept mowing around and around in a square shape so the grass was always aimed toward the center. Besides, the cut grass was good mulch for the living grass, right?
Voila! I've just answered myself. Previously I was pondering why I'm in the habit of mowing the lawn as a big square (see above) rather than going back and forth (in only two directions) until it's complete. The back and forth method gives you nice, even lines all across the yard. Now that I'm using a mower with a grass catcher it will be a struggle to remember to mow that way.
The neighbor across the street had one of the new (at the time) Honda mowers that could even mow wet grass. I remember being envious of that. But he was a gardener and had a small greenhouse and the whole bit. Their yard was always perfect.
I remember my little brother and I took turns mowing, switching off every other week. Or was it a two-week period in between? Anyway, when he was first old enough to mow, he'd have to push on the lower bar with one hand and the upper bar with the other. It took all his weight and strength to move it, I think.
Anyway, I must confess that this was the first mow of the season. Which also brought back memories. Back in the day we kinda just mowed to keep the crab grass and dandelions at bay. It was a semi-regular occurrence and the 'first mow' was put off longer than the neighbors probably liked. That's certainly the case this year. I was sick a couple weekends ago and busy the past week and kept putting the lawn off. All the neighbors yards are looking slick already.
So, finally, today was the day. The grass catcher couldn't keep up. I emptied it about 3 times between the front and the back yards. Even so, there was still plenty of escaping grass to be raked. (Thank you, roomie, for raking since I'm exhausted!) Then I pulled a few of the largest weeds (some a couple feet high). Our yard-waste bin is full. It's a good feeling of accomplishment. But I'll have to do it (and other activities) more regularly, both for the yards sake and for mine!
Up to now I'd been thinking how nice it would be to mow the yard again. At my last few residences I haven't had yards, or at least not yards with grass in them. Like, the previous house certainly had space in front of and behind it. But a traditional lawn was out of the question due to 2 major factors: 1) a good portion of the back yard was a concrete slab. 2) the front yard had a lArGE pine tree in it. So large... (how large was it?) it was so large that the needles fell into the front yard, the back yard and the alley out back, the neighbors yards, the street... well, you get the idea. I loaded countless yard waste bins with needles trying to keep up with the tree. Anyway, the acidity of the needles prevented certain plants from growing. Ironically, a number of flowers and bushes thrived.
Oh yeah! Also ironic: After tearing down the old house and rebuilding, the annoying pine tree in the front yard is the one that survived. They ended up cutting down the (maple?) tree in the back yard that we all liked. I'll bet the neighbors are very disappointed. They always had choice things to say about the tree in front.
Anyway, well, a couple houses back I did live in a place with nice lawns but the landlord insisted on mowing them.
So, even though I've been a couch potato for awhile, at least my position at work was keeping me in shape a little bit. If nothing else, I got some walking in and did lots of lifting and carrying and sorting and the like.
Now, I have a desk job again. It's been less than two months, but... I HAVE to start doing stuff. I know that this weekend was a good start. Mowing the yard, front and back, and pulling weeds for a couple hours certainly has me feeling my age. Maybe it's a good wake-up call.
The original point of this message was going to be about mowing the yard. As I mentioned, it's been years since I've mowed on a regular basis. In fact, not since my teenage (and younger) years has it been a habit. I remember the ugly old blue push-mower we had. Rather fondly, in fact. The most important thing to dad was that it had a Briggs & Stratton engine. That used to be the brand to look for. There was no grass-catcher. That was a luxury for other people, not us. We just aimed the exiting grass to the center of the yard and kept mowing around and around in a square shape so the grass was always aimed toward the center. Besides, the cut grass was good mulch for the living grass, right?
Voila! I've just answered myself. Previously I was pondering why I'm in the habit of mowing the lawn as a big square (see above) rather than going back and forth (in only two directions) until it's complete. The back and forth method gives you nice, even lines all across the yard. Now that I'm using a mower with a grass catcher it will be a struggle to remember to mow that way.
The neighbor across the street had one of the new (at the time) Honda mowers that could even mow wet grass. I remember being envious of that. But he was a gardener and had a small greenhouse and the whole bit. Their yard was always perfect.
I remember my little brother and I took turns mowing, switching off every other week. Or was it a two-week period in between? Anyway, when he was first old enough to mow, he'd have to push on the lower bar with one hand and the upper bar with the other. It took all his weight and strength to move it, I think.
Anyway, I must confess that this was the first mow of the season. Which also brought back memories. Back in the day we kinda just mowed to keep the crab grass and dandelions at bay. It was a semi-regular occurrence and the 'first mow' was put off longer than the neighbors probably liked. That's certainly the case this year. I was sick a couple weekends ago and busy the past week and kept putting the lawn off. All the neighbors yards are looking slick already.
So, finally, today was the day. The grass catcher couldn't keep up. I emptied it about 3 times between the front and the back yards. Even so, there was still plenty of escaping grass to be raked. (Thank you, roomie, for raking since I'm exhausted!) Then I pulled a few of the largest weeds (some a couple feet high). Our yard-waste bin is full. It's a good feeling of accomplishment. But I'll have to do it (and other activities) more regularly, both for the yards sake and for mine!
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